Learn how the E-N crime team does their jobs and read about the quirky characters they encounter and the sometimes bizarre things that can happen at a crime scene that don't make it into their stories.

Brian Chasnoff: Don’t Be Fooled Again

Convicted thief Raymond Ramos probably thought he was pretty clever Sunday night when he and a companion put San Antonio Police Department patches on their jackets and hit the streets, according to police. But Ramos neglected an important detail that eventually got him arrested and charged with impersonating a police officer.

Ramos, 24, and his buddy committed at least two robberies that night, using the badges to trick their victims into submission, according to the real police.

One robbery occurred around 9 p.m. in the 3800 block of Blanco Road.

Ramos and the other man pulled up in a black Ford Escort and stopped three people in the street, ordering them to put their hands on the back of the Escort, according to a police report.

The victims saw the patches and believed they were cops. One of the men collected the victims’ IDs, returned to the car and “pretended to run their IDs on the computer,” the report stated.

The man returned and told the victims that he couldn’t find them on the computer, so he would be taking a few of their possessions: keys to a car and an apartment, a cell phone and $300 in cash. He put the belongings into a plastic bag — official police evidence, you see — and the duo drove off.

One problem. Probably realizing they’d been had, the victims memorized the license plate number of the Ford Escort. Police pulled the car over about two hours later and arrested Ramos. (The other guy hadn’t been located on Tuesday.)

Police spokesman Gabe Trevino said police patches are pretty easy to come by. Just check out this Ebay page

Collecting the patches isn’t illegal, Trevino said.

“If your intention is to misrepresent yourself as a police officer,” he added, “it’s a different story.”